2011 in review - Penrith Panthers

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After a stellar 2010 season in which the Panthers finished the season in
second place, there was some expectation that the Panthers would
continue that momentum in 2011. The Panthers were returning the majority
of the squad, but key losses of Frank Pritchard and Wade Graham would
surely have their impact.

2011 was a season to forget for the Panthers on and off the football
field. On the field the team was playing a poor brand of football with a
lack of creativity meaning that the Panthers went from the best
attacking team of 2010, to the third worst in 2011. The poor play from
the Panthers in the opening two months of the season resulted in the
Panthers board informing coach Matthew Elliot that his services were not
required for 2012 and beyond. While the board retained Elliot for a few
more weeks, ultimately the distraction was too large and assistant
Steve Georgallis was placed in the role for the remainder of the season.

Jack Gibson once stated that success begins in the front office and
years of mediocrity had plagued the Panthers in this respect. As a
result of that disappointment, the Panthers board appointed 1991
premiership-winning coach Phil Gould as the clubs new Manager of
Football Operations in order to oversee change at the Panthers. The key
changes that Phil Gould instigated were changes to the management
structure of the Panthers with CEO Mick Leary moving aside and the
majority of the coaching staff departing. Gould then appointed 2011
Warriors coach Ivan Cleary to the role of head coach for 2012.

In another sign of change at the Panthers, club Captain Petero
Civoniceva, was also allowed to depart back home to Brisbane. Petero
left the 2011 season with strong parting words in the club game-day
newspaper suggesting that the Panthers need an upheaval of the current
board, not the first time in 2011 that Petero had made such statements.

The Panthers had some positives in the 2011 season with the emergence
of young stars of the future Harry Seijka, Blake Austin, Sarafu Fatiaki
and Nafe Seluini. All three youngsters handled their job effectively and
the continued emergence of young prop duo Sam McKendry and Tim Grant
mean the Panthers have a solid foundation up front.

Injuries played a key role in the Panthers downturn again in 2011 with
key player Michael Gordon lost for the season and injuries to key
playmakers such as Michael Jennings and Luke Lewis throughout the year.
Ultimately, the Panthers had a disappointing season which was not up to
the fans or clubs expectation.

With limited recruitment in 2012 and another long list of player
departures the Panthers would be hoping for an infusion of youth from
their junior ranks to spark the rebuilding effort. Ivan Cleary has made
it known that the Panthers will be focussing on developing and fostering
junior talent in the Penrith area. This focus was the formula for
success when the Panthers won the premiership in 1991 and 2003. Cleary
comes to Penrith with a reputation for getting the best of young players
at the Warriors. As such, Panthers fans will be hoping Cleary can
continue to work his magic to deliver the Panthers a third premiership
under his guidance.

The biggest question mark over the Panthers 2012 line up is finding an
impact backrower to aggressively hit the fringe of the defence along
with depth at prop and in the halves. The Panthers will be hoping young
guns like Andrew Pelasio, Matthew Moylan, Vaipuna Tia-Kilifi, Evrett
Vaurasi, Harry Seijka and Blake Austin can continue to develop and make
an impact in the 2012 season.

Ivan Cleary has proven early in his career that he will promote young
talent ahead of established stars if they are not performing and
Panthers fans would be hoping for the same attitude to be carried
forward in 2012.

A key to the 2012 line up will be where Michael Gordon lines up in the
team. Many have suggested Gordon should remain at fullback at the
expense of Lachlan Coote, or potentially a shift to centre. As Coote is
too talented to leave out of the team and Gordon would not see much
early ball in the centres, Gordon should start the year on the wing
where he will see the most action and utilises his skills the best.

Another area of contention is the five-eight position. Travis Burns in
the starter from last year but he will be under pressure immediately in
the trials from a young and talented five-eight Harry Seijka who proved
last year he was more than up to NRL standard. While Burns gets the
starting position in 2012, Seijka will be given plenty of opportunities
to stake a claim in the near future whether at five-eight or halfback.